Week 9 - A Message to Garcia

This week’s study materials included A Message to Garcia from the Action Foundation that helps us better understand what it takes to develop the character and courage to accept challenges and lead others to success.

One of the main focuses of the reading (and the part that I gravitated to most) is the section entitled DEVELOPING THE RIGHT ATTITUDES, HABITS AND INSTINCTS. This particular section really hit home for me – I can find aspects in all of these steps that I recognize in myself (both attributes I possess and those that I need to develop).

The following steps are outlined in the reading (my thoughts on each are included below):

1. Accept the mission and get started Often, the first and hardest part of the process is accepting a challenge instead of lamenting the fact that we are faced with it. When we embrace what’s before us as something to learn from, we set the expectation of a positive experience instead of a negative one. Getting started is how we face our fears head-on.
2. Be curious As much as we all like to think we are experts at many things, we are most likely not. We don’t have all of the answers, so asking questions becomes our strength throughout the process (not a weakness, as most people assume). When we take the time to evaluate and ask the right questions, we are setting ourselves up to find a solution based on accurate and helpful information, thus avoiding the time-waste of stumbling blindly.
3. Immediately sketch out a plan After gathering the information needed we are able to make a game plan. It’s important to remember that a plan can be fluid – often we will need to pivot or adjust our approach as information and circumstances change. One way to avoid frustration is to understand that a plan made at the beginning of a process might not be the best one to execute. Being open to change and new information is pivotal to success.
4. If you need resources, don’t be afraid to ask As I stated earlier, we rarely know everything we need to know in any given situation. This is why reaching out to others who might have more experience or knowledge and being open to other ideas is one of the most important steps in the problem solving process. It’s not always necessary to re-invent the wheel – learn from those who have gone before you and feed off of their knowledge and experience.
5. Enlist help when needed Learning to delegate is my biggest struggle. I, like many others, have a hard time trusting that what I need to get done will be done well (or at all) if I assign it to another. The best way to overcome this way of thinking is to surround yourself with reliable and knowledgeable team members that you know you can count on. Delegating doesn’t have to mean that you hand something over completely – it’s okay to check in and ask for updates. But learning how to exercise a healthy amount of trust will benefit you in the long run – freeing up your time and resources to focus on what your particular strengths are and allowing others to do the same.
6. Report back and show your work Evaluating how the process is going is essential to an effective process. Checking in with team members, superiors, peers, etc. to see what’s working, what isn’t, if you’re on schedule or not, and if you’re headed in the right direction will help you to avoid unnecessary mistakes and can help give you the confidence and momentum to continue forward.
7. Under promise and over deliver While lofty goals are exciting and generate initial confidence in your abilities, setting goals that are unattainable set you up for failure. Over promising gives you unrealistic benchmarks to meet. When we set realistic goals we do the opposite – we provide opportunities to shine and set an expectation that we are the type of person that consistently produces better results and anticipated. This helps to build confidence in our abilities for this project and others to come.
8. Expect to make (small) mistakes If we aren’t making mistakes, we aren’t learning. Making (small) mistakes help us to recognize where we need to make changes and gives us the opportunity to course-correct where needed before it’s too late.
9. Put results before schmoozing It can be tempting to toot our own horn in times of success, but it’s important that we keep ourselves in check. When we first put our focus on contributing something of value, we will often find that earned praise and accolades naturally follow.
10. Replace the voices in your head with positive action Negative self-talk is something that most of us deal with in one way or another. Even when we are successful and others recognize our contributions, we are hardest on ourselves. As we learn to intentionally focus on the positive, we train our brains to push forward with confidence in our talents and abilities. I try to remind myself to treat myself as nicely as I would treat another team member. Focusing on the positive is a great way to motivate others (and yourself) in times of struggle.

As I continue learning through this course, I am reminded that our entrepreneurial journeys are all contingent upon our willingness to learn about ourselves, grow from our experiences (both negative and positive), and to put in the work necessary for success. This week's reading has given me a clear direction to take on my own journey.